Subscribe to RSSBus Athiest Ads Rejected
NZ Buses have rejected ads from atheist campaigners that were to run along the side of buses.
The ads read; There’s probably no god. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.”
The campaigners raised $20,000 in public donations to run the campaign on ads in the main centres and say the bus company tentatively agreed but then said they had had complaints from people who disapproved.
The campaigners say they’re considering going to the human rights review tribunal, saying advertisements with identical wording ran in the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, and Spain.
29 Comments
A few religious folk afraid that these might turn people into atheists they’ll be allowed in end in the UK the religious groups kick up a simmer fuss but as said above were allowed.
Sky and Earth bless Atheism
Finally NZ bus makes a good decision.
Atheism = nothingness. Its a rather sad reality for those who believe in it.
Doesn’t even make sense they are wanting to run the adds in the first place. If everything came from nothing, then they should just donate their money to the SPCA or some other charity.
This is wrong in my opinion, it seems we have freedom of religion but no freedom from religion. To me this is only one step removed from theocracy: “You can believe in whatever you like as long as it is a recognised religion”… “not so far from you can believe in whatever you like as long as it is the ruling clique’s religion”.
If a church or whoever can publicly advertise their variety of philosophy/theology and use bus signs, billboards and the like to recruit new members, then why can’t a atheist group do the same?
Brent C, ask an atheist and they will probably retort that atheism = everythingness. They don’t believe that everything came from nothing, they simply reject the idea that everything had to come from a supernatural deity. Atheism is only ‘nothing’ if you cannot comprehend existence without god. Obviously atheists don’t have a problem with that.
In regard to donating money to the SPCA, I believe this group would say they are more concerned about freeing humans from suffering and anguish than animals!
Brent, Atheism is not nothingness. Atheism is the lack of belief in God, which opens up a system where we ourselves decide our values, rather than expecting some higher being to dictate them for us, or punish us in a fictional afterlife if we transgress. For me, it is about growing up as the human race.
But then, you do not have to accept that.
What you DO have to accept though is that as long as religious groups are allowed to advertise their little fancy, atheists should be allowed to advertise for their views as well.
Personally I am more worried about some of the critters inside the bus then what is painted on the ouside.
Everyday I get down on my knees and thank God I’m an Athiest.
Have you heard these particular atheists talk about what they hope to achieve? Definitely slightly weird people. Best kept off buses and trains.
im a strong athiest, and from what you should know, religion is what brought down the twin towers in the first place.
Lets not get into a religion (or lack thereof) debate, it just seems to make people angry.
Has NZ Bus allowed religious ads before, if so then they should accept this ad as not doing so is discriminatory. If not then at the end of the day it is their rules who they let advertise on their buses.
actually i wasn’t meaning to start a debate, lets say that i was a bit drunk when i wrote the bloody comment. Sorry!
Bill of Rights Act, Section 14:
Freedom of Expression………..
I’m not a huge debater of religion to be honest, but to believe everything just randomly started without some kind of higher power is unbelievable.
If NZ Bus don’t want to advertise this ad, isn’t it their choice not to? Isn’t that called freedom? But if a 3rd party (such as govt) came along and said no to it, then wouldn’t that be the removal of freedom?
Belief in God and religion are two different things. It’s a common misunderstanding among atheists.
I suppose they have the right to express their belief that their lives have no purpose, no meaning and no destiny, but what’s the point?
Geoff, the same point that you would have - expressing their beliefs.
“I suppose they have the right to express their belief that their lives have no purpose”
That’s the kind of straw man INSULT you folks always spout. We believe that our lives have lots of purpose, and many of us feel that they are even improved by being without God OR religion, thank you very much.
Sorry Jon C, but that was just a wee bit too much to let go without counter-comment.
So are we talking about freedom of speech (which is what I see the original issue as being), or are we getting into a religious debate?
Both, of course. As these things have a habit of doing. Next, we will drift into abortion, or how atheism supposedly killed millions in the Soviet Union (in defense of those who prefer religion, they already had the Twin Towers thrown at them in the thread…)
sigh…
perhaps both groups might just relax and realise that there are differences of opinion.
I personally think that a few adverts on the sides of buses aren’t going to change people’s minds if the strength of feeling shown here is anything to go by.
If the advertisers mount a challenge based on freedom of expression they may or may not be successful.
Both sides insulting each other isn’t going to change the result of that either.
Look at the NZ statistics, they don’t need the bus campaign they are already winning…
Take the $20,000 and let the hedonistic orgies begin..!
This whole saga is fascinating. It seems NZ bus has bowed to pressure from a minority group (the religious). To me the ad seemed rather innocuous and aimed at encouraging debate. It’s got the attention of Pharyngula (the most popular science blog on the net) which encourages readers to vote on the herald poll.
Personally, as a religious person (Christian), I’m very disappointed that NZ bus has rejected this advertising. Are some religious people worried that others might see these ads and leave the church? Maybe the assumption is that religious people are a little easily swayed? Either way, it seems that these days the media is shy of those with a critical opinion of religion. Come on, it’s not like these were cartoons of Mohammed….
http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010/02/new_zealanders_defend_your_hon.php
t seems NZ bus has bowed to pressure from a minority group
I’m not so sure about that.
Since when has NZ Bus given a shit about customer complaints before now?
No… I smell a rat. I will bet money there is some fundy retard on the NZ Bus admin that has his finger on this.
I mean, NZ Bus even refused mediation! seriously, something stinks here.
LOL Ichthyic, it wouldn’t surprise me! Hope the truth comes out!
Well the head of Infratil is a Lord isn’t he..?
“That’s the kind of straw man INSULT you folks always spout. We believe that our lives have lots of purpose”
Purpose cannot be self-imposed, as purpose is what leads to your existence in the first place. You cannot say humanity has purpose if you believe it exists in the first place as a pure fluke.
Good to see the ad’s removed anyway.
@ Ian
Never mind keeping the atheists off the buses, there are atheists driving the buses.
“Purpose cannot be self-imposed, as purpose is what leads to your existence in the first place.”
Does life have to have a purpose? What’s the purpose of a goldfish? What’s the purpose of a clump of moss living on a rock? Or are you saying that humans have a purpose denied “lower beings”?
“You cannot say humanity has purpose if you believe it exists in the first place as a pure fluke.”
Humanity may not have a purpose but I believe I have one. Sorry that you’re so insecure you have to find an external purpose in a fictional being.
So you need a deity pulling your puppet strings giving you purpose to get out of bed in the morning?
Not much for motivation, are you?
The rational among us realize we have things to do or want to do, and people to love and care for. That’s why we get out of bed in the morning.
We don’t have to go running to a Bronze Age goatherder’s fairy tale collection to tell us what we need to be doing.
Let the people who know how handle logic.
I welcome the crystal clear demonstration everywhere this issue is discussed, that very many religious folk are unable to cope with criticism or discussion in any other fashion than inciting censorship. I pity them for the frailty of their beliefs. How brittle a worldview, to depend on absence of dissent.
“I welcome the crystal clear demonstration everywhere this issue is discussed, that very many religious folk are unable to cope with criticism or discussion in any other fashion than inciting censorship”
If you read the above comments from atheists, you will see that they neither want discussion, nor handle it very well. What they do, as they always do, is get angry and intolerant at the Christian viewpoint.
“So you need a deity pulling your puppet strings giving you purpose to get out of bed in the morning? Not much for motivation, are you? The rational among us realize we have things to do or want to do, and people to love and care for. That’s why we get out of bed in the morning”
So, start with an insult, then proceed to write things that have nothing to do with anything I’ve said. That isn’t very rational. The atheist viewpoint is that humanity (and all life) does not exist for a purpose. That is entirely different to filling your own life with purpose that you give it after you come into existence.
“Humanity may not have a purpose but I believe I have one. Sorry that you’re so insecure you have to find an external purpose in a fictional being”
I haven’t done or said anything to indicate insecurity. You however, have found need to insult (like every atheist posting here has done) and made an assumption that belief in God means insecurity. On the contrary, I have found believers to be among the most secure people I have encountered. They live by the word, it works, and they don’t display intolerance to others.
“It seems NZ bus has bowed to pressure from a minority group (the religious)”
According to the 2006 census, 55% of New Zealanders listed themselves as Christian. On top of that you have the other religions, of which Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam and Spiritualism all experienced huge growth since the previous census. 34% of New Zealanders listed themselves as no religion.